Does Your Dog Beg for Food?
3 Ways To Stop Begging – Advice from a Dog Trainer in Inner West Sydney
Anniina is a dog trainer in Inner West Sydney and has been training dogs for over 10 years. Here are her tips for stopping begging for food!
Has it become impossible to eat at a table without your dog hounding you for food? Let’s face it, your dog is probably well fed, so he has no reasons to beg for food. But when you look in cute puppy eyes you can’t help yourself and toss a small nibble from your plate. What you’re doing is reinforcing the begging behaviour.
1. Do Not Give In
The first thing you should do if you want to stop your dog from begging is not give in to his antics. If you refuse to share your food no matter what, your dog will learn that there’s nothing he can d0 to change your mind about giving him food.
But you need to be consistent. Everyone in your home should abstain from sharing food with the dog.
2. Ignore The Begging Behavior
You need to ignore begging. It’s is a form of attention-seeking behaviour. You need to teach your dog that begging will lead to you ignoring him. Do not look at him, speak to him, and do not touch him while he’s begging. Ignoring your dog completely while he begs will reinforce the fact that begging is not going to work any longer.
3. Close The Door
If your dog’s begging behaviours have got out of hand, one of the simplest ways to stop begging is getting him away from the table.
Sure, he’s going to whine and cry the first few times you do this. However, he will get used to this routine if you include it in your daily schedule.
The most important thing you have to keep in mind when stopping begging for food is that you need to be patient.
Your dog might have developed his begging behavior in months or even years, so it’s unreasonable to believe it will go away overnight.
Stay patient. Your efforts will be rewarded and you will be the proud parent of a well-behaved dog.
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